Commentaries by Brian L. Frye

For better or worse, the paradigmatic television show of the coronavirus pandemic is Netflix’s documentary miniseries Tiger King, an excruciatingly intimate reflection on a feud between two tiger-fanciers. On the one side is Carole Baskin, the rather sanctimonious leader of a big cat sanctuary in Florida. And on the other is Joe Exotic, the “colorful” [...]

*Editor’s Note: The title as written is not ungrammatical, but rather refers to an internet meme you can read about here. Apparently, quarantine means never having to say you’re sorry. All of a sudden, people are coming out with hot takes you never would have expected. Except you did all along. For example, a remarkable [...]

It’s a truism that when lobbyists push a bill supposedly intended to help the disadvantaged, the real beneficiary is someone else. After all, lobbyists don’t work for free, and the disadvantaged can’t afford to hire them. The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act is no exception. At least, in theory, the CASE Act is [...]

Like everyone, the copyright cops want to have their cake and eat it too. They claim that copyright is a kind of property, so the law should protect it just like any other kind of property. But they also claim that authors are morally entitled to copyright ownership because of their special contribution to society. [...]

Sometimes, it takes a crisis to make a change. Especially for the legal profession, which is notoriously allergic to change, no matter how necessary. For decades, the legal profession has debated how and why to evaluate attorneys before admitting them to the bar. But it looks like the COVID-19 pandemic may finally force its hand. [...]

The world in a plague year is a world turned upside down. Everything familiar becomes strange, and everything normal becomes peculiar. Commodities become scarce and luxuries become worthless. Leisure becomes insufferable and labor becomes precious. The great become small and the small reveal their greatness. But one thing is constant. The plagiarism police remain vigilant. [...]

Everybody knows that the Coronavirus pandemic is an economic catastrophe. Small businesses are already failing and people are losing their jobs. The government can and should do everything possible to mitigate their suffering. But in at least one economic sector, there is another option. The arts sector is struggling for the same reason many other [...]

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, law schools face an existential crisis. After shuttering their buildings and moving their classes online, they must ask whether they can and should assign grades for the spring 2020 semester. Many have already decided to go pass/fail. And many more are sure to follow. But I don’t believe [...]

On June 6, 1861, Count Camillo Benso di Cavour died He was the first Prime Minister of a united Italy and the political leader of his nation's unification movement. After Italian unification, Cavour was responsible for the creation of the Italian constitutional monarchy and its founding political documents.

US Securities and Exchange Commission established

On June 6, 1934, the US Securities and Exchange Commission was established to protect the interests of investors. Its first Commissioner was Joseph P. Kennedy.